Scintillator-based radiation detectors are used in a variety of applications, including research in nuclear physics, oil exploration, field spectroscopy, container and baggage scanning, and medical diagnostics. When a scintillator of the scintillator-based detector is exposed to particle radiation, the scintillator absorbs energy of incoming particles and scintillates, emitting the absorbed energy in the form of photons. The photons can be detected and converted to electrical pulses that can be processed by electronic devices and registered as counts that are transmitted to analyzing equipment. In some cases, an array of scintillator pixels is arranged, such that each particular scintillator pixel is associated with a respective photosensor. Cross-talk can occur when photons emitted from a particular scintillator are detected by a photosensor that is not associated with the particular scintillator. In radiation detection apparatuses used to produce images, cross-talk can degrade the quality of the images. Further improvements of scintillator-based radiation detection devices are desired.
The use of the same reference symbols in different drawings indicates similar or identical items.
Skilled artisans appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the invention. The use of the same reference symbols in different drawings indicates similar or identical items.